States Watch

Tributes to Rajiv Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Parliamentarians, led by the Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Manohar Joshi, paid floral tributes on August 20, in the Central Hall of Parliament at the portrait of former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, on the occasion of his 59th birth anniversary.

Among the dignitaries who also paid tributes were the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Najma Heptulla, the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, Shri P.M. Sayeed, several present and former MPs.

Sadbhavana Award presented to S.N. Subba Rao

The former Chief Justice of India, Shri A.M. Ahmadi, presented the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award to veteran Gandhian Shri S.N. Subba Rao in the presence of the Congress president, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and other dignitaries.

Shri Ahmadi , who is also the chairman of the advisory committee of the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award, described Shri Rao as an apostle of peace and harmony, while the Congress president, Smt. Gandhi said a tireless worker for peace has been chosen for the award.

Referred to as "the living spirit of Mahatma Gandhi", Shri Rao initiated formation of family youth organisations in 1982 to fill the gap of youth network/youth assembly in India.

The award, which carries a cash component of Rs. 2.5 lakhs and a citation, was in recognition of his outstanding contribution towards communal harmony and national integration.

Addressing the award function, Smt. Gandhi called upon the youth to unite and defeat the designs of the "anti-social and communal forces" that were misguiding and dividing the country for their own selfish ends.

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee under the presidentship of Shri B.B. Bahl celebrated the birthday of Shri Rajiv Gandhi. Hundreds of workers and Congress leaders paid tributes to the departed leader. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Bahl said it was Rajiv Gandhi who brought a revolution in the country so far as information technology is concerned and today India boasts of being one of the fore-runners of I.T.

Prominent leaders who attended the function included Shri Ram Pal Sharma, vice president, Mayor, Shri Subhash Chawla, Mahila Congress president and former Mayor Smt. Lalit Joshi, Shri Bhupinder Singh, Youth Congress president, Shri H.S. Lucky, Shri Pawan Sharma, Shri D.D. Jindal and Shri Surinder Bhatia.

Earlier, Shri Bahl flagged off the ‘Run for the Nation’ organized by the Chandigarh Youth Congress. Fruits were distributed at Kusht Ashram. At another function organized by INTEC, sewing machines were given to widows of INTEC workers.

ALLAHABAD: Leader of UP Congress Legislature Party, Shri Pramod Tewari, along with a large number of Congressmen visited Anand Bhawan, the ancestral home of the departed leader and garlanded his portrait.

Addressing the homage ceremony, Shri Tewari said Rajiv Gandhi was known for his honesty and commitment to cleanliness in public life. "He was a multi-faceted personality and had an intense desire for quick changes on economic, industrial and political fronts," he added.

Shri Tewari also administered the ‘Sadbhavana Day’ pledge to the party workers and urged them to fulfill the dreams of the departed leader. Former secretary and spokesperson of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, Shri Kishore Varshney conducted the meeting.

UJJAIN: The Jivaji Block Congress Committee celebrated the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi in which thousands of Congress workers paid floral tributes by garlanding the life-size statue of Rajiv Gandhi. Thereafter, bhajans were sung and speakers addressed the gathering. Others present on the occasion were City Congress president, Shri Rajendra Bharati, Block Congress president, Shri Bhagwan Khandekar, Akbar Khan Shri S.N. Sharma and other leaders.

It may be noted that through the approval of Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the efforts of Shri Mahesh Arya the statue of Rajiv Gandhi was erected here, which was inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh chief minister, Shri Digvijay Singh.